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What is Christianity?
“Christianity is just another one of many religions. They all teach people to live a good life.”

“Christianity simply gives people a high standard of morals to try to follow.”

“Christianity means going to church occasionally and being good to your neighbors.”

Are any of these ideas about Christianity true? No! Though held by many people, each of these thoughts is wrong. Christianity is not just one among many religions. Nor does it simply call for a person to be good and attend church.

Christianity stands unique among all the world’s religious systems because its founder, Jesus Christ, is the Son of God. He came to earth to reveal God to us in human form. This is true of no other religion.

Jesus Christ is not simply another human being. He is God!

Therefore salvation (release) from the guilt of sin is possible only through Him. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). “Salvation is found in no one else” (Acts 4:12).

A Christian is not someone who simply attends church, tries to be good on his own, or attempts to build up merit before God. Rituals and good deeds will not make you a Christian; you need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And this is possible only when you admit that you are a sinner and you turn to Him for forgiveness of your sins.

That is why Jesus died on the cross—to bear your sins so that you can receive Him as your Savior. When you do, He will forgive you and give you eternal life. Then as a child of God, you can have fellowship with Jesus Christ in prayer, and you can depend on Him for help each day.

This is what Christianity is all about—salvation from sin and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

This wonderful relationship can be yours only by faith, that is, only by trusting in Jesus Christ, God’s Son. All your efforts to save yourself or to gain peace with God are in vain. All other religions are based on human efforts, trying to be good enough to please one’s god or gods. But no one ever knows if he has done enough good works.

By contrast, the Bible says we can never work enough for our salvation. Instead God offers it as a free gift. “The gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23). And this gift must be received by faith. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Church attendance, baptism, kind deeds—none of these will ever be enough to get you to heaven. “He saved us, not because of righteous [good] things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:5).

Becoming a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, is possible only because of God’s grace.

Grace is His favor which we don’t deserve. Because He offers us the gift of eternal life freely, we can’t do anything to build up any merit before God. In other religions, people try to reach God by their own efforts. But in Christianity, God has reached down to us, and in His love He offers us the gift of eternal life—for free! “[We] are justified freely by his grace” (Romans 3: 24). “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Will you trust Jesus Christ now as your personal Savior? If you will do so, you will receive God’s free gift of eternal life and forgiveness of your sins. Turn to Him now in faith, realizing you can do nothing to save yourself. To become a Christian, pray a prayer something like this:

Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner, and I realize I can’t save myself. So I ask Jesus to save me from my sin by forgiving me and giving me the wonderful gift of eternal life. I trust Him now as my Savior. Amen.

Roy B. Zuck